WATCH: President Obama Can Finally Defend Obamacare

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During his press conference Friday, President Obama gave the defense of Obamacare many of his supporters have been waiting for:

Now, I think the really interesting question is why it is that my friends in the other party have made the idea of preventing these people from getting health care their holy grail. Their number one priority, the one unifying principle in the Republican Party at the moment is making sure that 30 million people don’t have health care. And presumably repealing all those benefits I just mentioned: kids staying on their parents’ plan, seniors getting discounts on their prescription drugs, a return to lifetime limits on insurance, people with preexisting conditions continuing to get blocked from health care insurance.

That’s hard to understand as an agenda that’s going to strengthen our middle class. At least they used to say, well, we’re going to replace it with something better. There’s not even a pretense now that they’re going to replace it with something better. The notion is simply that those 30 million people or the 150 million who are benefiting from the other aspects of affordable care, will be better off without it. That’s their assertion. Not backed by fact, not backed by any evidence. It’s just become an ideological fixation.

For years, Republicans have had an advantage as many of the law’s real benefits were scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2014. Anything that went wrong in health care could be blamed on the law while the law’s subtle improvements to the health care system mostly went unnoticed. That changes on October 1 of this year when the law’s open enrollment period finally begins.

Uninsurance rates are about to drop quickly. “Repeal” will soon take on a much different meaning. So it’s no coincidence that just as time begins running out for Obamacare’s opponents, Obama himself is suddenly more comfortable turning the issue on them. The ground is shifting under their feet.

To my mind, this is what leadership is all about. Leadership is should not be about
doing the politically safe things, and leaving the complicated problems for someone
else, on down the road. It’s not about the practice, of before taking on a tough issue, to stick a finger in the air, or take a poll. Or, think of how many special interests you may need to take on. And the potential of that alone, being enough to end your career, in money dependent Washington. And that being the most important consideration of all. So, as a Congressman, or a President, the tendency has been to just leave it alone. Yes, it’s festering, and getting worse. But, it’s complicated. So, I’ll let someone else stick their political neck out. I like my job, more than I like solving, or taking on sticky issues I’m very likely to get skewered over. That kind of thinking is what has 10/12 million unidentified immigrants living somewhere within the boarders of the Country. Or, an estimated 50 million Americans, most of them working full time jobs, without the ability to pay, or in many cases qualify for health insurance, if they could. So, today we have one Party that’s doing absolutely nothing but making sure, absolutely nothing gets done. We could reward them for that. They are not proposing a replacement healthcare reform package. Only opposing the current one. They are not allowing a vote on the immigration plan in the House, their own GOP counterparts passed in the Senate
a few weeks back. They talk about job creation. But have blocked any proposals.
Even ones that our past experiences in dealing with slow growth, have proven to
be very effective in improving the general health of the economy, while bringing
down the debt. We can reward that. And in doing so, expect more in the future.
Or, we can realize for progress, we must have leadership willing to back up their
convictions, with the courage to take the actions necessary to make them happen.
I wholeheartedly support the politically brave, and potentially career ending stand
the Democratic Congress took on healthcare reform in 2009. Some have already
paid the ultimate price, and were defeated at the polls in 2010. And some hope many more Democrats will suffer that fate in 2014. But, in my opinion, i we want
our leaders to take on the big problems, we shouldn’t punish them for trying. Even
if we don’t agree 100% with the outcome. That is, unless we want to elect do nothing politicians, who never make a political mistake because they do as close
to nothing as possible. We may as well go to the graveyard, and elect some of it’s
occupants. The vast majority there, made no mistakes at all last year!

MaryLF

That is an amazing comment. Thank you so much for taking the time to lay it out so clearly. Would you mind if I quoted it with attribution?

charleo1

Mary, you can quote any of it you want. With or without attribution.
I’m proud you like it. But, I’m more pleased you agreed with it!

dtgraham

charleo1 is an amazing contributor.

MaryLF

I see that!

Lovefacts

Would you mind of I send this to some like-mind and politically active friend–with attribution and the ability to link to your original comment?

I would add that most of these do-nothing politicians take politically expedient positions to protect their personal power. Those few who hold beliefs tend to want us to return to the 1800s–minorities and women–before the Civil War and the income tax.

charleo1

Sure! I would not mind at all. Thanks!

bikejedi

Really don’t see what Immigration Amnesty has to do with the ACA but keep spinning …By the way new surveys and estimates peg the number of Illegal Aliens at about 30 mil but certain people don’t want you to know that .
I think you need to convince most of the working Liberals the ACA is a good thing . It seems anyone on the left who voted for Obama and supported the ACA originally wants out . It does however seem that Public Unions exempted from it and those on entitlements like it . They seem to be about the only ones who do in America .
I mean 1st the Dems had to use OUR Tax Dollars to Bride and Pay off their own members to vote for it …That’s how bad it was . Once passed all those Hypocrite Liberals in Pelosi’s district read it and didn’t like it . So she gave them Exemptions . Of the over 1400 exemptions given out so far 20% of them are in Pelosi’s own district . Now even the Trade Unions don’t like it as they rightfully pointed out that it will mean the end of the middle class as employers don’t have to cover part timers . Think you can afford the Insurance on part time wages ? do you think a Nation of mostly part timers will be able to be consumers and fuel the economy ?…Look there isn’t enough spin in a tornado to make this thing look good or be a good bill for the Country .

charleo1

What immigration reform, and healthcare reform have in common is They are two very tough, very complicated issues, that the longer
gutless politicians put off dealing with them, the worse they get.
My point is, it takes leadership, and courage to be willing to risk a political career to take on these lobbies, and find solutions.
My other point was it is exceedingly easy to stand off, and criticize.
And much harder to find consensus, and comprise, and come up
with an alternate reform package that also increases the number
of paying participants in the system, before it implodes on itself.
Or, finds an acceptable, and fair to all immigration policy.
My further point was. If a Party’s sole agenda is to simply practice
politics for politics sake. By making one outrageous assertion,
after the next preposterous claim, without a single comprehensive
solution of their own. That’s not leadership. Just worthless partisan politics.

bikejedi

Ok those are some reasonable points . We should all realize that Obamacare is designed to fail . The reason is because they wanted a single payer all along but didn’t have the nads to pull the trigger . The funding of Obamacare doesn’t work and while it will redistribute wealth to those on entitlements in the form of a free ( yeah its that funny ) new entitlement …it will do so by getting producers in the private sector ONLY to pay for it . These producers on the other hand will probably lose their coverage and not be able to afford it on their own . Simply stated fewer people insured then now and no one to pay for those on entitlements to get their free stuff .
This has been proposed by others but I like the idea myself …that idea would be a 1% Nationwide Sales Tax to fund a pool . That has a chance to work and be a fair and balanced approach everyone pays into .

RV Mike

Single payer/socialized medicine isn’t rocket science, most countries that have it think we are idiots for paying the high costs we have here. Creating pools of money with a sales tax doesn’t solve anything, we know how one party or another seems to get their grubby hands on “funds”, ACA isn’t perfect, but it can be amended if the two parties in power would work for us instead of lobbyists, by the way, isn’t a sales tax anti business? Progressive income taxes are the only fair way to tax wealth.

charleo1

No, I don’t engage in conspiracy theories. That Democrats
intentionally designed ACA to fail, so single payer government
insurance would be adopted. As far as free insurance, or more
entitlements. Who’s paying for the uninsured, low wage, and
indigent medical care now? The answer is of course, tax payers, insurance subsidies to providers, paid for in higher
premiums for companies, and individuals. So, these reforms
are according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget
Office, going to save billions in costs over the long run, in a
variety of ways. One is if people have access to regular
doctors, and are tested, so conditions such as diabetes,
or arterial disease, their chances are greatly reduced of
coming into the system thru the emergency rooms in crisis,
and costing much more than if the chronic condition had
been caught early, and kept under control. But, I’ve gotta
say, you and I do not see this issue in the same way. For
you, the possibility that all this care to people that do not
have access to it now, is going to cost money, or redistribute
wealth. Or whatever they’re saying this week. Doesn’t
matter, if one sees access to basic healthcare as a human
rights issue, for which we must find the money.

Allan Richardson

If Obamacare were to be replaced in a few years with a single payer plan, we would be better off. But that would not be as a result of its “failure.” It would be because we finally realize what the rest of the civilized world already knows: that it WAS successful but could be made even MORE so by getting the last few million Americans insured, ALL their lives.

charleo1

That’s the way I see it also. There is a reason other modern,
first order countries handle their healthcare in the way they
do. They simply do not have the funds to pay for the costs
of a inefficient, fee for service, profit driven system, like the
one that’s bankrupting us. And even though it won’t be long
before we can no longer sustain our current system. Starting
down a new path is frightening to many Americans. Even
more so, after the scary near collapse of the U.S. economy.
For gosh sakes! No wonder the Country’s a basket of nerves.
But you’re right, It will be a process of making changes here,
strengthening there. But, just the fact that we have started,
I think means we’ve overcome the largest hurtle, the hardest
thing to accomplish. So I remain positive we can do this.
I’m a big believer in America.

rothgar

As long as these people Republican, Democrat, Tea Party or whatever need to raise huge amounts of cash to retain their jobs leadership will not be a common commodity.

We need publicly financed campaigns so these folks are ONLY beholden to the voters.

charleo1

Amen to that!

John Pigg

Still don’t believe anything anybody says related to the ACA. At best I believe its a failed compromise, at worst it serves to make our healthcare system more convoluted and complicated.

I just wish there was a way to find no partisan information related to the law.

Like I said,
I don’t accept the administration’s interpretation of this new policy. But that kind of leaves me in a bind because I don’t believe what Fox News says about it either.

Still thanks for the share. I will check it out.

bikejedi

Trust me it is just spin and propaganda . Who would believe ANYTHING coming out of this Whitehouse with all the LIES they tell

Dominick Vila

I was delighted to hear President Obama highlight some of the benefits of the Affordable Care Act. Hopefully he will expand on what he already said by mentioning the positive impact of ACA on our business community and our ability to compete on the global economy.

chisolm

If Obama care is so wonderful how do you explain the fact that it remains overwhelmingly unpopular among the people? With the MSM doing all they can to push Obama’s agenda I find it hard to believe that all opposed are just ignorant and/or racist.

disqus_fsqeoY3FsG

You stated “explain the fact that it remains overwhelmingly unpopular among the people”. Didn’t the majority of people re-elect President Obama and Obamacare was one of Romney/Ryan’s used against him? When the polls are taken to determine people don’t like Obamacare, how many people are participain that pole

chisolm

I assume the number of people that participate in those polls are the same as participate in all the other polls. Since when don’t democrats trust polls?

disqus_fsqeoY3FsG

I am not speaking for anyone but myself. This democrat does not nor have I ever trusted polls. There are an estimated 150,000,000 registered voters in the US, and how many people are usually polled, 1,000 – 2,000 – 5,000? How many are Republicans or Democrats? Do they lie about their political party to skew the pole? See I do not trust poles.

Dominick Vila

The last election proved that the techniques used by most pollsters are outdated or plain inaccurate. It is not so much that people may lie, but that the technology and process used to offer an educated prediction is flawed and inconsistent with current habits.

gigimn

Mr disqus..what is your proposal..? What do you do with all those who would be without insurance if it is struck down.
How would you deal with parents whose children would die without Obama care?
If Republicans are so against it they should have an alternative to present before they try to strike it down..common sense sir!!

disqus_fsqeoY3FsG

Sorry gigimn – but I am 150% for Obamacare.

gigimn

Sorry guess I was replying to the wrong person..should have been Chisholm

disqus_fsqeoY3FsG

No problem gigmn!!

GenV

Over half of the states are under GOP control and are not allowing their citizens to take part in the Affordable Care Act. Florida saw this first hand this year with their drug cost. The elderly pay for their secondary insurance including the drug insurance which Bush added on the the elderly. The exchanges were getting rid of the “drug bubble” which allowed the insurance companies a loop hole where they did not have to pay anything. Last year, my mother did not hit the drug bubble until November. We were excited about the exchanges and we thought that this year, she would not have to deal with the bubble. That went up in smoke this year when our governor refuse to take part in the Obamacare. This year, she hit the bubble in March and has to pay full price for her drugs which she does not have. She still has to pay for the drug insurance every single month and she only benefited for two months..

disqus_fsqeoY3FsG

When is that Poor Excuse for a Human up for re-election? I hope the people of Florida realize how much he has harmed the State and vote him out of office. I am sorry about your mother, perhaps some of the charities in your area can help?

dpaano

GenV: Some drug companies have plans that your mother can check into for people who don’t have the money to pay for their medications. If you go on line to the particular drug company that provides your mom’s medications, you may be able to get into one of the programs they offer. They all seem to have discount programs for those people who can’t afford to pay full price for their medications.

Dominick Vila

Until recently, President Obama and other members of the administration did little or nothing to highlight the benefits of the Affordable Care Act, from parts such as the elimination of the pre-existing condition clause, the elimination of insurance caps, coverage for dependent children under age 26, and affordable women care, to what will happen when ACA is fully implemented October 1, the start of FY14.
Their reluctance to fight for something we need contributed to the ability of the special interests that oppose ACA because it interferes with their ability to accumulate wealth, to launch a demonization campaign that influenced the opinion of millions of Americans. That opinion has been changing rapidly since millions of Americans benefitted from the early parts of Obamacare that have already been deployed, and it will continue to change as soon as our uninsured are given access to the preventive medical care that all Americans should be able to have. It will change even more when the self-employed and small business owners see the outrageous insurance premiums they currently pay cut by more than half.

gigimn

..what is your proposal..? What do you do with all those who would be without insurance if it is struck down.
How would you deal with parents whose children would die without Obama care?
If
Republicans are so against it they should have an alternative to
present before they try to strike it down..common sense sir!!

darkagesbegin

my observation is that if the “MSM” doesn’t call Obama a socialist and/or communist every day, and actually tries to report facts, the right believes it is “pushing” the Obama agenda

charleo1

As for my 2 cents. People know if they are covered, how important health
insurance is to any future plans. Maybe they have kids, and a college fund.
Or, perhaps they are saving to make the last years of their lives a time of
leisure, without the worries of wondering how they will meet this financial
challenge, or pay for that contingency. Since 80% of Americans now have
health insurance thru their employer, and, are not sure how all this
will effect all that. To oppose ACA, or be very skeptical, is only natural.
But, on the political side. Just what is all the GOP obsession on repealing
the law, all about? If you think about it, if it was so bad, why wouldn’t they,
Republicans, just vote aganist it, (it’s the Dems. baby anyway.) And if it’s so awful as they claim, the people themselves would toss out everything in
politics that had anything to with it. I believe the GOP knows a lot more
about ACA than they let on. I think they believe once it’s in full effect, Mr.
and Mrs. Average, ordinary American, is going to plainly see how it benefits
them. And then, it’s game over.

freebird44

I think I can speak about what TX physicians think about our illustrious governor declining funding for Medicaid – they hate it. Perry and the rest of these pig headed Republicans want to look good to the tea party and care absolutely nothing about womens’ health and safety, children after being born, teachers earning a livable wage or our childrens’ education. At least there will be those whose lives may be saved by having healthcare they were not able to afford in the past. They couldn’t win over Benghazi and other made up fantasies so the ACA is their last try to make Obama look bad.

bikejedi

They cant explain that because even Liberals who work for a living want out of it .

Allan Richardson

The polls that say it is overwhelmingly unpopular are biased in two ways:first, the pollsters COMBINE the responses for “should not have been passed at all, we don’t need any reform” with the responses for “should have been more of a government program, but it’s a start.” If you combine the “should have been” with the “yes, I like it,” you get a slight majority in FAVOR of Obamacare (or something better). Secondly, when you ask people SEPARATELY about the features of Obamacare, each feature has overwhelming support, EXCEPT the individual and employer mandates, which are necessary to MAKE THE OTHER FEATURES WORK. But the WORD Obamacare has been slandered by the right wing liars so long that as a PACKAGE it is less popular than its parts.

People opposed to Obamacare are not “ignorant” in general, simply misinformed about this particular issue, because of biased media (such as the “news” channel that accuses the mythical “MSM” of being biased in favor of it). Compare Obamacare to the PATRIOT Act: PATRIOT was intended to prevent a recurrence of the 9/11 attacks, and whether because of the act (and the subsequent two wars) or not, there has not been another attack that killed 3000 Americans in almost 12 years. However, among the 30 million Americans who have not been able to get health insurance until Obamacare goes into effect (note: most of them STILL do not have it, and will not until next New Years Day), there are an estimated 45,000 DEATHS annually because necessary medical care was not obtained in time due to lack of insurance coverage. This is as many deaths as 15 ATTACKS THE SIZE OF 9/11 EVERY YEAR. We didn’t notice it unless it involved a personal acquaintance, because it didn’t happen in 3,000 person batches with massive destruction of property each time. But those 45,000 people each year are just as dead as if they had been blown up in a building … AND they knew they were dying, and that they COULD be cured, but WOULD NOT, because of lack of MONEY, which in some ways is WORSE than suddenly being blown to bits with no warning.

Elise Dee Beraru

I have already benefited from Obamacare. This year my flu shot cost me nothing out of pocket (instead of $25) and my mammogram, which has cost me $40.00 through a low income earners’ project, will also cost $0.00 out of pocket. When open enrollment for Medicare recipients comes, there is a supplement including prescriptions for disabled Medicare recipients under 65 that is affordable at my SSD benefits. And there will be no pre-existing conditions exclusions, which is a major benefit for most disabled people.

bikejedi

Yeah as long as someone else has to pay for it you are all good with it .

highpckts

Up your tush!! know it all!!

bikejedi

I think they already did that by passing this bill and then exempting themselves from it ….then they exempted Obama’s Muslim Brothers who can opt out …then they exempted everyone who votes Dems on entitlements …then they exempted most of the Govt Public Unions …then they exempted half of the Liberal Dems in Nancy Pelosi’s district who voted for Obama and supported this …Liberal hypocrisy indeed …Since they supported it they should be the very ones to pay for it …not the people who knew from jump this bill sucked …of course not a single Conservative or Conservative group has gotten an exemption only the Liberals who voted for it .

bikejedi

They have done everything they can to push this evil bill but still cant even convince hard core Liberals to like it . Now Obama is delaying the Revenuing for it but is going to let the things people like to be implemented on time . All in a transparent attempt to gain support and save the mid terms which would have been a disaster for the Dems had this evil bill been Implemented . Hey Obama you freed your fat cat donors and Corporate America from having to pay for it but not the middle class that the Dems say they satnd for …Oh Yeah but pointing that out is probably racist right ?